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People that know me call me the biggest Gamecock fan ever - so I have to comment. I have been watching Gamecock Football and other sports for 50 years, and I have to say that boy am I grateful for the past several years.

First of all I don't think Spurrier is making excuses. He is one of the few that brutely does not make excuses. He will call himself and his team out in a heartbeat.

Second, We are getting close to being an feared/elite program (like Alabama and Florida State) that will be preseason top 5 every year, but we are still not there yet. Even Spurrier said earlier this year that we are not a "super duper" team that blows people out and that even though we lost a couple that we could have one, we also won quite a few that could have gone the other way (Vanderbilt, UCF, Kentucky, Missouri, Florida). Sometimes we take the WINs for granted.

Thirdly we have to keep in mind the conference we are in. I played football myself from 4th grade through College, and want to tell you, for some reason you just play better on some days and for some reason you do not play well at all. The problem that we have in the SEC is that (unless you are duper duper as Spurrier says - which I think that he means superior to the opponent) if you do not play well, you will get your rear-end kicked by any SEC team - even the lowest ranked team. So if you are Clemson and Florida State and you play in the ACC (especially the past couple years) and you have a bad game on most conference games, you can still win.

So with all that said, I think we have the right coach, going in the right direction, and boy it is fun to get frustrated when you go 10-2 regular season instead of 11-1 or 12-0. Would we have imagined that in the past?

If is great to be ambitious and want to win it all (same goes for me) but it takes a special year in the SEC to accomplish that. I think it is on the horizon but I will not get discouraged with my Gamecocks when we fall a little short - especially with the effort and coaching that is getting us all these WINs.

Lastly What separates our fans from everyone else is our support. Just go to a Georgia or Clemson game and hear their fans when they start loosing - they say they are terrible, want a new coach, and need new players.

I don't think you understand Spurrier. He quit the University of Florida job after the Gators went 11-2, won the Orange Bowl, finished 3rd in the country, ... and the season was considered a disappointment by Gator fans. And when I say quit, I mean quit. He didn't leave for another job; he just left coaching all together and took a year off. (Urban Meyer also quit Florida). So it's my opinion that Spurrier will step down when Gamecock fans feel 11 win seasons are ho-hum. Ultimately, I think Spurrier will be devoured by the beast he created. He's turning Gamecock fans into entitled Gator fans.

I wanted to make this same point.

SOS will leave when he is no longer having fun. Entitled fans will make this no fun for him quicker than anything.

Winning 11 games is great but we must adopt the Bama mentality Championships or bust. We must expect championships that is the only way we get over the mountain into the promised land. Bama considers not winning the SEC and/or NC a disappointing year, I remember the dark days of 0-21 but this team has too much talent and great coaches that winning the SEC should be an expectation now.

Yes. I was old enough to remember the 0-21 happening. I also vividly remember the 5-7s, 6-5s, 7-6s. I understand how far we have come. We are a perennial top 10 program which absolutely blows my mind considering 5-6 years ago we would be doing backflips to just get in the top 25 midseason.

I think you may have missed my first post. Especially the part where I said you simply can't complain about the last 3 years even with the tough losses. We have accomplished firsts in each season. But the fact is, is that there aren't many other firsts to accomplish besides the obvious. I fully understand we can't keep up this streak.

But also like I said, the past 3 years have had outstanding first time accomplishments overshadow terrible losses. We are starting to run out of first time accomplishments to ease the sting of these losses.

My opinion is that we are THERE now. Of course we can't win every game we play, but these awful losses that cost us chances to win the conference HAVE to stop. If it continues to happen every single year and it keeps costing us, it is my OPINION that Spurrier will step down, not that he should.

I can agree with wanting better. I can agree that we need to get to a
point where we don't lose to unranked teams while we are ranked among
the best in the nations. I've even posted that on this board several times.
Once just a few days ago when I said our next hurdle to get over, is to
stop losing games we are heavily favored in. .. All that I can agree with
and have stated as such. What I have an issue with was the post(s)
where you place this blame on Coach Spurrier and somehow think if we
can't get past that point, he should leave and hand it to someone else.
Losing games we should have won, or were favored to win has been a
part of this program LONG before Coach Spurrier took over the job. I
remember a game we lost to Navy in 1984 that cost us a possible shot
at a number one ranking the following week, and eventually a shot at
a national Championship. I remember several games like that over the
course of my lifetime in decent seasons and bad ones as well. Saying
that if we don't get over that, Coach Spurrier needs to step down and
we need to start from scratch again for the sake of not beating teams
we were favored to win against.

It's frustrating YES, but if you look at it, those seasons under coach
Spurrier, we've also pulled off a big win (wins where we were underdogs
going in, yet pulled out a big win) '05 the loss to Georgia was offset with
big wins against UT at Knoxville and a Win against Florida.
'08 the loss to Vanderbilt was offset with a big win against a ranked
Ole Miss team, and another big win against UT.

in 2010 the loss to UK was offset with a win against #1 Alabama at the
time we played them, and an SEC East title.

2011 .. loss to Auburn was offset with the win over a favored UGA team
in Georgia.

2012 .. Loss to UF, Win over favored UGA

This past year .. loss to UT, big win over Missouri and a Favored Wisconsin
team.

Yes the losses could have given us a lot better season ending results,
but there were also BIG Wins with Spurrier that we should have lost
that we won, when losing them could have resulted in our not even
being ranked at the end of the season, or took us out of the Eastern
Conf. Race without a possibility of winning them late in the year.

We have work left to do, but I would not want to even attempt to do
them with any other coach than who we have running this program
right now. To suggest that he should step aside if we don't get over that
major flaw in our game, is unacceptable to me as a fan who has seen
some of the worse days of this program's history. I want to get past that
hump just like you, but I want a PROVEN SUCCESSFUL COACH at the
controls when we get there, and they don't come any better than Coach
Spurrier.

Changes would need to be made. Obviously were not gonna fire Spurrier, especially as long as he's beating clemson. But I would say we would need some hardware in the next 3 years or Spurrier is gone. By hardware I mean at the very least an SEC east and a competitive SEC championship game. If it doesn't happen, then Spurrier will give someone else a try IMO. By no means should we ever fire Spurrier, he's earned the right to leave when he wants and has stated several times when he thinks he can't get it done he will step aside.

you can't possibly be over 20......college football is played by 18-20 year olds that sometimes make mistakes....there are 11 players moving on every play.....there are usually between 120-150 plays per game. So one fumble, missed tackle, missed block, or any other missed assignment on one pay can cause a loss.....do you understand that. Some mistakes don't cause losses, some do. These players are some of the best athletes in the country that are playing at an extremely high rate of speed that have to make complicated decisions instantly.......sometimes they make the wrong decisions. It happens. One other thing, have you made straight A's since the first grade....if not, why not.

All I can say is WOW... Just WOW... We have some fans who have forgotten where we came from. The early 70,s in the ACC. We beat Wake something like 42-7. They won the ACC that year. Then came 84 we folded to Navy. Then came 1-21.

Just be happy where we are. We all want better. BUT it could be worse... A lot worse... Heck we could be Climpsen

I haven't forgotten that we used to suck. I just don't care because that is completely irrelevant this day, this year. It's time to be a forward-thinking fan base and not a backward thinking one. If you want to have an elite program than don't complain about demanding fans because that is what comes with being an elite program. Some of our fans can't seem to understand that because losing has become so deep-rooted into their psyche. If some of you still want to hang on to those memories and standards of those lovable losers from yesteryear than good for you, but some of really did not enjoy those years and have not stomach for even thinking about going back for a long long time and in for that to happen we need to win a championship soon. Y'all, those where different players back then and different coaches. The team we have next year will be a brand new team. We moved a from that, but 3 11-2 season is a row, while great, is not what it's about. That is like celebrating continually being the maid-of-honor but never the bride. It's past time we get that ring before we become a bunch of lonely cat ladies. It's time to move on from being the team that is really good but just missing, to team that doesn't blow the play that comes back to bite them at the end of the year.

Yet here you are; guess they were hollow...or that poison was slow-acting. LOL.

Not even a week and we're singing 'looney tunes'.
Winter has barely begun, and the young limberbacks have cabin fever.
If you don't see summer, you were a turkey - not a Gamecock.
No wonder SOS deletes us from his favs list 'till spring.
Downtime - unwind a bit; sure you're goin' the right way??

I can agree with wanting better. I can agree that we need to get to a
point where we don't lose to unranked teams while we are ranked among
the best in the nations. I've even posted that on this board several times.
Once just a few days ago when I said our next hurdle to get over, is to
stop losing games we are heavily favored in. .. All that I can agree with
and have stated as such. What I have an issue with was the post(s)
where you place this blame on Coach Spurrier and somehow think if we
can't get past that point, he should leave and hand it to someone else.
Losing games we should have won, or were favored to win has been a
part of this program LONG before Coach Spurrier took over the job. I
remember a game we lost to Navy in 1984 that cost us a possible shot
at a number one ranking the following week, and eventually a shot at
a national Championship. I remember several games like that over the
course of my lifetime in decent seasons and bad ones as well. Saying
that if we don't get over that, Coach Spurrier needs to step down and
we need to start from scratch again for the sake of not beating teams
we were favored to win against.

It's frustrating YES, but if you look at it, those seasons under coach
Spurrier, we've also pulled off a big win (wins where we were underdogs
going in, yet pulled out a big win) '05 the loss to Georgia was offset with
big wins against UT at Knoxville and a Win against Florida.
'08 the loss to Vanderbilt was offset with a big win against a ranked
Ole Miss team, and another big win against UT.

in 2010 the loss to UK was offset with a win against #1 Alabama at the
time we played them, and an SEC East title.

2011 .. loss to Auburn was offset with the win over a favored UGA team
in Georgia.

2012 .. Loss to UF, Win over favored UGA

This past year .. loss to UT, big win over Missouri and a Favored Wisconsin
team.

Yes the losses could have given us a lot better season ending results,
but there were also BIG Wins with Spurrier that we should have lost
that we won, when losing them could have resulted in our not even
being ranked at the end of the season, or took us out of the Eastern
Conf. Race without a possibility of winning them late in the year.

We have work left to do, but I would not want to even attempt to do
them with any other coach than who we have running this program
right now. To suggest that he should step aside if we don't get over that
major flaw in our game, is unacceptable to me as a fan who has seen
some of the worse days of this program's history. I want to get past that
hump just like you, but I want a PROVEN SUCCESSFUL COACH at the
controls when we get there, and they don't come any better than Coach
Spurrier.

We are on the same page. I stated that I thought he would leave, not that he should. I think he can and will get it done. I have faith.

you can't possibly be over 20......college football is played by 18-20 year olds that sometimes make mistakes....there are 11 players moving on every play.....there are usually between 120-150 plays per game. So one fumble, missed tackle, missed block, or any other missed assignment on one pay can cause a loss.....do you understand that. Some mistakes don't cause losses, some do. These players are some of the best athletes in the country that are playing at an extremely high rate of speed that have to make complicated decisions instantly.......sometimes they make the wrong decisions. It happens. One other thing, have you made straight A's since the first grade....if not, why not.

I am over 20 FWIW. But the Tennessee game wasnt lost on one mistake. We played like crap from the start.

Top 5 finish is great... Best in our history... I have no problem wanting more, but to the few that act like its been a failed season because we did not beat UT need a reality check.

Nobody is saying its a failed season. We're not Alabama. I actually know some Carolina fans who do believe it was a failed season and I have filled them in on the history and how one cant possibly think that way. I think everyone including myself are talking about the future. There arent many more firsts left to ease the sting of those bad losses.

The more it keeps happening, the more disgruntled the fanbase is going to become. Even the old timers who vividly remember the years and years of mediocre days.

We are on the same page. I stated that I thought he would leave, not that he should. I think he can and will get it done. I have faith.

Good thing you yelled "Uncle' 'cause we had all winter long to work you over.
OTOH, guess we'll have to find someone else to vent our frustrations on...
Hey, Spareparts, are you still hangin' around? LOL.

"My opinion is that we are THERE now. Of course we can't win every game we play, but these awful losses that cost us chances to win the conference HAVE to stop. If it continues to happen every single year and it keeps costing us, it is my OPINION that Spurrier will step down, not that he should."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carolina-Beez

I don't think you understand Spurrier. He quit the University of Florida job after the Gators went 11-2, won the Orange Bowl, finished 3rd in the country, ... and the season was considered a disappointment by Gator fans. And when I say quit, I mean quit. He didn't leave for another job; he just left coaching all together and took a year off. (Urban Meyer also quit Florida). So it's my opinion that Spurrier will step down when Gamecock fans feel 11 win seasons are ho-hum. Ultimately, I think Spurrier will be devoured by the beast he created. He's turning Gamecock fans into entitled Gator fans.

Good thing you yelled "Uncle' 'cause we had all winter long to work you over.
OTOH, guess we'll have to find someone else to vent our frustrations on...
Hey, Spareparts, are you still hangin' around? LOL.

I dont get on here near enough to have seen myself getting worked over. During the season I dont even bother because its so unbearable. For the most part Im pretty positive about the program. I can see where some of my comments may have been taken as one made by one of those delusional idiotic fans.

Im usually the eternal optimist. When we lost to Georgia, I was pissed for a solid 30 minutes before I realized we still had a great shot. I had seen the same thing happen the previous 2 years for them. When we lost to Tennessee, I was pissed for about 15 minutes before I realized all we needed to do was beat Mizzou and have them lose 1 more. I thought they would for sure lose 1 more. When it didnt happen, the Tennessee loss started to sting more. Not going to Atlanta kind of put a damper on the clemson victory for me.